Magazine-pistol



No. 646,692. Patented Dec. 27, |898. J. HLWESSUN.

MAGAZINE PISTOL.

(Applicatin led Jan. 15, 189B.) (N0 Modem 2 sheets-sheet l.

@www y No. 6|6,692. Patented Dec. 27, |898. J. H. WESSN.y

MAGAZINE PISTOL.

(Applcntonled Jan. 15, 189B.)

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JOSEPH H. IVESSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MAGAZINE-PISTOL.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 616,692, dated December27, 1898. Application tiled January 15, 1898. Serial No. 666,789. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. WEssoN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements inMagazine-Firearms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to magazine-iirearms, and particularly to thatclass thereof in which the magazine is located at the` rear of thebarrel and in which the latter acts as a hammer and has a sliding orlongitudinally-reciprocating movement in the barrel-supporting part ofthe arm, induced by the movement of the trigger, the object being toprovidean arm of this class of improved construction in respect to thebarrel supporting and operating devices of the arm,an improved magazineand means for supporting the same relative to the barrel, and otherdetails of improved construction, as hereinafter set forth; and theinvention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of theoperative parts of the arm, all as hereinafter fully described,and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specitication, Figure 1 is acomplete side elevation with wooden side removed, the position afterfiring once. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said wooden cover. Fig. 3 isa plan View looking at the lower end of the stock of the arm withmagazine removed. Fig. iis a section on line et 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is asectional View of the frame and the magazine partly in section. Figs. Gand 7 are vertical sections on line :c Fig. 5, looking back andforward,respectively. Fig. 8 is a detail view, in side elevation andbottom plan view, of the rear end of the barrel. Fig. 9 is a top planview of the magazine, showing a cartridge therein. Fig. 10 is a sectionof the magazine on line 10 10, Fig. 5. Fig. 11 is a side elevation,partly in section, of the arm with magazine and cartridges therein readyfor iring. Fig. 12 is a side elevation, partly in section, with barreland operating devices, the barrel having been drawn forward, andcartridges just before the release of the barrel to let it move back forfiring. Fig. 13 is a side elevation showing the trigger and parts inposition at the instant of firing the arm.

Referring to the drawings, the handle of the iirearm is indicated by 2,the frame porL tion at the upper end of the handle by 4, the tubularbarrel-support by 5, and the open bracket by 6 under said support, allpreferably integrally constructed and constituting, practically, theframe of the firearm; but for clearness of description said portionsthereof will generally be hereinafter designated as above whenseparately referred to. Said tubular barrel-support 5 is shown in sideelevation in Fig. 1 and in longitudinal section in Fig. 5 and in Figs.11 to 13, inclusive, these five iigures illustrating clearly the saidintegral construction.

The barrel 8l is of the complete form externally which is shown in Figs.8, 11, and 12, which is as follows: Itis externally of uniform diameterfrom the muzzle rearward nearly to its rear end, and near the latter acylindrical enlargement d is applied to or formed thereon, having thediameter of the interior of said barrel-support 5, thereby constitutingthe rear-end bearing of the barrel in said support. The muzzle end ofthe barrel is supported in line with its rear end by the bearing 9, ofbushing form, Which is screwed into the end of said barrel-support andhas a central opening therethrough of a diameter corresponding to thatof said barrel. By the above-described construction a chamber isprovided in said barrel-support 5, between said enlargement ,a on thebarrel 8 and said front barrel-support 9, in which to place alcoilspring 25 around that part of the barrel therein. Said spring isnormally under such degree of elongated force, acting between saidsupport 9 and enlargement a, as serves to retain the barrel about in theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 11 when the parts of the firearm are atrest; but when the iirearm is about to be fired the said springiscompressed, as shown in Fig. 12. Any other arrangement of abarrel-actuating spring near the same and suitably connected thereto maybe substituted for said coil-spring 25 if such spring shall insure therequisite cartridge-firing action of the barrel, as below set forth. Alongitudinal slot d is formed in the under side of IOO said tubularbarrel-support 5, as shown in the drawings, through which certainoperative parts of the firearm project, as below described. A cam o isprovided on the border of said slot CZ for a purpose below described.The said barrel enlargement a has formed in the under side thereof adraw-bar notch e and a brace-bar abutment c, which serve the purposesbelow described. Upon the outermost curved part of said open bracket 6is pivotally hung the trigger 7, having a suitablyformed linger-pieceand a lever extending from the latter toward the barrel-support andbarrel, as shown. To the said triggerlever is pivotally connected thebarrel drawbar 20, having a hook-shaped end for intermittent engagementwithsaid notch e in the said barrel enlargement a. The barrel isprevented from moving other than endwise by a screw 10, whose pointenters a groovef in the barrel. A trigger and draw-bar spring cornbined,21, has one end connected to said bar and its opposite end secured to afixed part of the arm, 'as shown. A barrel-brace 23 is pivoted by oneend to said bracket, and its free end swings upward through said slot CZin the barrel-support for engagement with said abutment c on the barrelenlargement c: when the barrel is in the position shown in Figs. 1 andv5, whereby the barrel is firmly held at the moment the arm is fired. Aspring 24 swings said brace upward into engagement with said abutment. Apin 22 on the side of said draw-bar 2O extends over the upper edge ofsaid brace 23, one purpose of which is to effect the tripping ordisengagement of 'said brace from the said barrel enlargement when thetrigger swings forward to the position shown in Fig. 1 after firing,thereby leaving the barrel again free to receive another forwardmovement preparatory to moving backward again upon another cartridge.The second purpose of said pin 22 is to constitute'means for causing thehook of said draw-bar 20 to be disengaged from the said barrelenlargement when the barrel is drawn forward for firing the arm, asshown in Fig. 12, whereby the barrel is permitted to be thrown backwardto take and lire another cartridge, and said bar is disengaged, asstated, by reason of the engagement of said pin 22 in said bar 20 withsaid cam o at the border of said slot cl at the end of the rearwardtrigger movement. (Illustrated in Fig. 12.) The normal position of saidbarrel while at rest is that shown in Fig. 11, whereby it constitutesastop for the cartridges. It will be seen by reference to Fig. 5 andothers that at the rear end of the said barrel-support directly over theinterior of the handle 2 of the lirearm there is a cartridge-chamber 15open on its upper and lower sides and having a firingpin 12 through itsrear end, against the point ofv which a cartridge may be driven, asillustrated in Fig. 13, to cause the explosion thereof. Said chamber 15,as more clearly shown clases in Fig. 5, is clear to permit cartridges topass' thereinto from below to the position (of the upper one) shown inFig. 12 to receive the rear end of the barrel thereupon, as in Fig. v13,preliminary to the ring thereof. For retaining the cartridgev in saidposition in line with the barrel, as in said Fig. 12, until the barrelshall take it, and then allow the cartridge to slide with the barrel andagainst said firing-pin, the inwardly-projecting lips 17 on the oppositeupper borders of said chamber are provided, but extending only aboutone-half of the length ofthe latter from the front end rearwardly. Thuswhen the cartridge has been carried backward free of said lips andfired, as aforesaid, it is free to escape upwardly out from saidchamber, the front end thereof passing between saidvl-ips and its rearportion moving in the rear. larger portion of said chamber. A spring-pin13, having an inwardly-extending free end, as shown, for engagement witha groove in the cartridge-shell and to hold the latter for an instantwhen the barrel shall move forward after firing is secured on the outerside of said cartridge-chamber 15. (See Figs. 1, 3, 6, and 7.) i

The cartridge herein shown has a shell of peculiar construction, wherebyit is especially adapted to be used in the within-described rearm. Thepoint or ball-carrying portion of said shell is of a diameter suitablefor en` tering the rear end of the barrel and is eX- pansible under theforce of the firing charge, as in ordinary cartridges; but the rearportion of the cartridge consists of a rigid metallic jacket orenlargement, substantially of the outside diameter of the rear end ofthe barrel 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 13, which incloses the rear endof the shell of which said ball-carrying portion is the front open end,said rear end carrying the usual centerfire primer. Thus it will beunderstood how said cartridge is adapted to act, as described herein,whereby it offers a required expansible portion to enter the barrel andform a gas-tight joint when fired and a rigid rear portion ofsubstantially the diameter of the rear end of the barrel and adapted toengage and move rearwardly therewith when the arm is fired.

Fig. 2 illustrates the form of a stock-section or side 3, of wood, hardrubber, or other suitable material, which is secured against theopposite sides of the handle and of said open bracket part 6, wherebythe operative devices within the handle and frame are protected.

The magazine of the arm comprises the tubular case 2G, having a lowerclosed end and the lips 27 on the opposite borders of a longitudinalslot 36 in one side thereof, a cartridgeplunger 32 within said case, aplunger-moving spring 33, and stop and guide pins 34 on opposite sidesof the plunger-head engaging grooves 35 in the inneropposite wallsofsaid case. A spring-hook 28 applied to the rear IOO IIO

wall of the case enters and moves in a slot 18 in the inner rear wall ofthe handle 2, the hook proper of this spring projecting inwardly at theopen end of the magazine-case, as shown in Figs. 5 and 9, and, as shownin this lastnamed figure', engaging the rear end of the top cartridge inthe case, whereby a group of the latter is temporarily retained thereinafter loading the magazine, which loading is effected (when out of thearm) by pushing the cartridges one by one into said case past saidspring-hook 2S, the latter engaging each one, as shown, as it passes bythe hook. At or about at the junction of said slot in the rear wall ofthe handle 2 with the rear end of said cartridge-chamber 15 (see Figs. 5and G and others) is a bridge19, back of which is a recess, into whichthe upper extremity of said spring-hook 28 is forced when the magazineis placed in said handle, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby springingbackwardly the hook on said spring, as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, anddisengaging the same from the upper cartridge, thereby permitting thelatter and all below it to be moved upward by said magazine spring andplunger, and such action carries the cartridges one after anothersuccessively to the position behind the barrel 8, (shown in Fig. 12,)ready for firing, but the cartridges are first arrested by the barrelwhile in its said normal position, as in Fig. 11. By drawing the barrelforward slightly, as in Fig. 12, the upper cartridge in the magazine ispermitted to take the position shown in the lastnamed gure. Saidmagazinecase 26 (see Fig. 4) is provided with a hook-carrying spring thehooked end of which spring engages with a part of the lower end of saidhandle 2, as illustrated in said last-named figure, thereby retainingthe magazine in the position in the firearm shown in Fig. 1 and untilsaid button 30 is pressed upon to move said spring 2 inwardly. A button31 is placed on said magazine opposite said button 30 to provide acounterrest for the iingers while operating said spring 29.

The operation of the within-described firearm in firing the same afterinserting the charged magazine into the handle thereof, as described, isas follows, the barrel and the devices actuating the latter alloccupying,when said magazine is inserted, the positions shown in Figs. 1and 11: The handle 2 being grasped, the trigger is pulled backwardly, asin Fig. 12, thus letting the cartridges rise in the magazine, the upperone of the group being arrested by the lips 17 in the position shown insaid last-named figure behind and in line with the bore of the barrel.The continued movement of the trigger backwardly serves to carry thedraw-bar 2O so far forward that the trip-pins thereon are broughtagainst the cam o on the under side of the barrel-support 5, therebydisengaging said bar from the barrel and permitting the latter to bedriven 29, having a press-button 30 thereon,

by the spring 25 backward, taking the top cartridge of theV group withit and carrying the head thereof forcibly against the firingpin 12,thereby causing the explosion of the cartridge and effecting saidfiring. The arm parts at the instant of said firing occupy the Ypositions shown in Fig. 13, wherein it is seen that the barrel-brace 23rigidly holds the barrel in engagement with the cartridge when thefiring takes place. The triggeris now in the forward position shown inFig. 11, again engaging the draw-bar 2O with the barrel, as in Fig. 11,and the iiring is repeated as frequently as the trigger may be sooperated. At each forward movement of the barrel after firing, the emptycartridge-shell (see Fig. 13) being now engaged by its head by saidspringpin 13,whereby it is held while the barrel is moved forward, is atthe instant that the barrel is clear from it quickly thrown upward outof said chamber 15 by the action of said magazine spring and plungerupon the cartridges beneath the upper one, and the following uppermostcartridge of the group then takes the position in the chamber 15 (shownin Fig. 12) ready to receive the barrel, as did the first one of thecartridge group.

The cartridge-shell construction herein described and shown does not perse constitute the subject-matter of this invention; but the same isreserved for another application whichis led simultaneously with this.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a irearm, a frame, a barrel supported for longitudinalreciprocating movement in -said frame, a spring acting to move saidbarrel in one direction, a trigger, means controlled by said trigger formoving said barrel in an opposite direction, and means for automaticallylocking said barrel in a firing position, combined and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

2. In a iirearm, a frame, a barrel supported for longitudinalreciprocating movement in said frame, a spring acting to move saidbarrel in one direction, a trigger, means controlled by said trigger formoving said barrel in an opposite direction, means for automaticallylocking said barrel in a firing position, and means controlled by saidtrigger whereby said barrel-locking devices are disengaged therefrom,combined and operating substantially as set forth.

3. In a rearm, a frame, a barrel supported for longitudinalreciprocating movement in said frame, a spring actuating said barrel fora rearward movement, a trigger, a triggerspring, a barrel draw-barconnected to said trigger having an intermittent engagement with saidbarrel whereby the latter is moved ,forwardly against said spring, meansfor automatically locking the barrel at the termination of said rearwardmovement, and mechanism actuated by the spring-induced trig- IOO IIC

ger-swinging movement for disengaging the said barrel-locking devicestherefrom, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

4t. In a firearm, a frame, abarrel supported for longitudinalreciprocating movement in saidframe, a spring actuating said barrel fora rearward movement, a trigger, a triggerspring, a barrel draw-barconnected to said trigger for engagement with said barrel, means forautomatically disengaging said draw-bar from the barrel at thetermination of the forward movement thereof, means for automaticallylocking the barrel at the termination of said rearward movement, andmechanism actuated by the'spring-induced trigger-swinging movement fordisengaging saidbarrel-locking devices therefrom, combined andoperatingsubstantially as set forth.

5. In a firearm of the class described, a frame having atubularbarrel-support thereon, a barrel for sliding movements in saidsupport, and a spring forcing said barrel rearwardly, combined with atrigger 7, a barrel draw-bar 2O pivotally connected to said trig-` gerand having an intermittent engagement With said barrel whereby a forwardmovement is imparted thereto against the action of said spring, atrigger-spring 2l, anda barrel-brace 23, holding said barrel in a firingposition, and means actuated by the swinging movement of the trigger fordisconnect ing said brace from the barrel, substantially which themagazine is applied with which the free end of said hook 28 engages,whereby the cartridges are disengaged therefrom, substantially as setforth.

l7. In a magazine-firearm, a magazine therefor having a spring thereoni'or engaging the upper cartridge therein when charged, combined withthe spring-releasing part l9,with in the arm, against which said springis moved when the loaded magazine is placed therein, and a spring-hookon said magazine acting to retain the same in the arm, substantially asdescribed.

JOSEPH H. VESSON. lVitn esses:

H. A. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs.

